


Hot cocoa

by Fuzzi_Fox



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-18
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2019-04-04 00:21:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14008026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fuzzi_Fox/pseuds/Fuzzi_Fox
Summary: Luna takes Noctis to the mountain to teach him how to ski, but things do not go as planned.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Radiklement](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Radiklement/gifts).



> This was originally posted in Fanfiction.net under the same username. I hope you enjoy this pointless little one-shot. Originally written for a friend, but decided to share it nonetheless! Split into 2 chapters due to length.

\+                      “So, time to hit the lift?” Noctis asked, looking down at his feet that were now successfully connected to the ski bindings, the backs of them lifting as he checked that his heels weren’t going to pop out.

 

            “Not quite,” Lunafreya replied, glad her face was covered. She replied to the confused furrow in his brow by pushing him down, the Prince grunting as he hit the packed snow, his poles dropping beside him.  He sat up, leaning on his palms his confusion shifting into a glare,

 

            “What was that for?!”

           

            “You need to learn to get up when you fall. Because trust me, you’re going to fall,” she teased.  “Everyone falls. A lot.”

 

            “It’s just standing up,” Noctis insisted, and started trying to stand when he realized he had two long sticks attached to his feet making the feat quite difficult.  He tried to stand, surprised at how frustrating the slight incline made the task. “Stop grinning like that!” he insisted, “Don’t think I can’t see that smirk  under your gear!”

 

“Okay first of all your toes are pointing down the hill. That’s a great way to fall again.  Sit so you’re sideways. When you stand put all your weight on the downhill leg,” she explained.

 

“Give me your hand,” He asked after shimmying himself so that his feet were positioned as required. She shook her head at the request,

 

“Not possible once we’re on the mountain,”

 

“It’s possible here, help me up. Besides, you’re the one who pushed me over!” he tried to argue, to guilt her into helping him back up.

 

“I bet you’re pouting behind that ski-mask. That won’t work on me this time.  Now try to get up.  Trust me you want to try this at least once _before_ you fall on the hill. And you _will_ fall,” she insisted. Noctis sighed and stood with an exaggerated groan, shifting his weight the way she explained and got back to his feet, spreading his palms in a _ta da_ gesture, that got her to roll her eyes at him. “ _Now_ we can go in line for the lift,” she offered, and he began to duck-walk towards the lift which caused her to giggle. “You’re going to wear yourself out before we even get in line!”

 

“Well, how else do I do this?” she smiled, deciding to take it easy on him and showed him how to move a bit more efficiently, and turning to watch that he was mimicking her motions. He caught up to her fast enough and grinned at her, declaring himself a fast learner.  She gave him an invisible encouraging smile, agreeing with his statement.  He moved to head towards the ski lift line, but was stopped by her hand gripping the neck of his jacket,

 

“Slow down.” she instructed, “you’re not ready for that yet,” she pointed further down the mountain to a smaller shallow hill. “We’re going over there,” she explained, and ignored his immediate protests, insisting one must learn to crawl before one can learn to walk. When that didn’t work she pointed out he was the one to insist on lessons, so was he going to allow her to teach him or not? She managed to instruct him how to load onto the T-bar rope-lift.  

 

“So, finally time to go down?” Noctis asked, clearly excited.

 

“Yes, yes,” He managed not to simply throw himself down the hill, and listened to her instructions on how to turn and how to stop.  She slid backwards down the shallow incline so she could watch and instruct him, telling him how to shift his weight or warning him when he was about to cross the tips of his skiis. He kept trying to ask her not to ski down the hill backwards, concerned she would fall over despite her protests she knew what she was doing. She had skiid every winter with her mother from early childhood until she was twelve, and picked the hobby back up after her and Noctis settled into the Citadel. This year, he had expressed interest in learning.

 

“Hmm, you are a fast learner,” Lunafreya commented after their fifth run.

 

“Time to take me up a bigger hill, give me a challenge!” Noctis insisted, feeling quite confident.  Luna frowned, pulling her mask down so he could see it. “Careful, someone could recognize you,” he commented,

 

“I don’t want you hurting yourself your first day out here with me,” she ignored his comment, and shouted his name as he moved past her towards the lift,

 

“I want to try a real hill!” he insisted, ignoring her protests. He was determined to show her he could come with her on these adventures, and could in time learn to keep up with he. He didn’t want to keep practicing on the _bunny hills_. He wanted a real challenge. It’s how he learned anything, by upping the challenge and pushing himself. Lunafreya was shouting his name, able to keep up with him with ease, but utterly unsuccessful

 

“Noct… please… I don’t want you to hurt yourself,” she pleaded, moving in front of him to obstruct his path. “I didn’t jump straight to the bigger trails, it took me much practice to become proficient.

 

“You were a kid, your mum probably didn’t want you to do the big hills right away,” Noctis shrugged, and waddled past her to get in line at the lift.  She groaned, following him, continuing to plead with him to continue trying the smaller hills. “What if I promise to stay away from the black trails?”

 

“Fine. I can’t stop you anyways. Just… please promise to be careful, and go slow!” she insisted, caving out of necessity.  A small part of her hoped the chair lift would knock him over to take his pride down several notches, but a part of her was excited he was determined to get good at something that was important to her.  They got onto the two-person chair, Lunafreya unable to suppress a giggle as he fell against it harder than intended, surprised at how fast it came up behind them.  With the bar pulled securely down and the chair moving away from the station,

 

“Awe come on, I won’t hurt myself. You’re too good of a teacher for that,” Noctis insisted after a few moments of silently watching her remove her hat to fix her hair, and pull the hat back on.  He had a suspicion she was smiling beneath her mask, himself sporting a grin behind his own.   He had always wanted to learn how to ski, but his father never had the time, Ignis refused to have anything to do with such a _suicidal sport_ as he called it, Gladiolus said he tried it once and refused to try it again, preferring snowboarding. And Prompto hated the cold.

 

“Thank you for being willing to learn. I haven’t had someone to ski with since…” she paused for a moment, “I used to ski with my mother.” her tone was steady, and she felt Noctis lean against her, “Don’t you fall off this lift, I don’t think Gladio would let you live it down,” she teased.

 

“You disappear all day at least once a week in winter, about time I learn how so I can join you.”  He rubbed his head against her shoulder playfully, smirking when he heard her giggle,

 

“You’re quite ridiculous, you know this?” she inquired,

 

“Ah, but you love me,” he proclaimed.

 

“Indeed I do, though sometimes I cannot for the life of me figure out why.” she teased, tilting her head against his. “You simply drive me from my senses.  Have you been lacing my morning coffee?” she accused.

 

“How else could a scruffy young man keep the affection of a perfect Oracle?” he asked, sitting upright, cocking his head at her.

 

“The secret behind how this wily Prince has captured my heart!” She fluttered a hand over her chest. “Your secret is out, what shall you do now?” she tapped at her chin, looking at him.  He pulled his mask down, smirking at her, and reached to pull down hers,

 

“Since we don’t have to worry about anyone  recognizing us on the lift.... I’ll show you…” his voice trailed off, and any response she had died in her throat when his lips met hers, the stinging wind somehow felt good on their burning cheeks before Noctis pulled away a cocky grin on his face as he saw the smile touching her eyes, suspecting it wasn’t only the wind making her cheeks red.

 

“Hmm… perhaps lacing her coffee is no longer necessary.” she mused,

 

“I should double-check,” he commented, and cupped her cheek with a gloved hand, kissing her again, tasting the smile on her lips, feeling the vibration of her gentle hum. “Seems like I _have_ successfully found a replacement for the coffee-love-potion.”

 

“With only two tests? Not very scientific of you Noct.  What would Ignis say?”

 

“Too true… I guess a third test is in order,” his lips brushed against hers, and the cold finally began to get to them. He pulled away, slipping the mask back up over his nose, Lunafreya mirroring him.  

 

“I think you have conclusive results,” she nodded at his assertion, grinning beneath the cloth.

 

            “I should publish my findings,” he held a finger up, mimicking Ignis’s accent.

 

            “And share your secret?” she looked at him, pulling her goggles back down over her eyes to protect them from the increasingly cold wind, successfully obscuring her expression. The lift neared the top, and Lunafreya explained how to get off, and they both managed to do so without incident.

 

            “Which trail?” Noctis asked, looking at the posted signs that indicated what lie ahead in the available trails. He followed Lunafreya’s pointing finger to a sign that indicated a couple green trails, and a blue one. He nodded at her, and followed her as she skated over towards the mouth of the trail.  It eventually began to incline, and she gestured for Noctis to try and hug the edge of the trail, so the more experienced skiiers could get past him.  She had told him she would go on ahead so she could watch him come down, directing him not to go past her.  He agreed, though with the entire mountain splayed below him he was tempted to charge down it as fast as he dared and impress her.  He took a moment to appreciate the view while Lunafreya went ahead of him.  It was plain to see why she she enjoyed this so, the view was beyond measure.  She looked like she was flying the way she glided down the hill, hoping one day he could be so skilled. 

 

            She finally reached the point she wanted, and he saw her stop and wave one of her poles above her head. He took his cue, and slowly made his way down to her, unable to suppress his rising embarrassment that she could glide down the trail elegant and fast and he had to all but crawl down the mountain.  He reached her, voicing his lamentation that he was so damned slow. Were it less cold this close to the summit, she would have made a clumsy attempt at a reassuring kiss, but settled for telling him it was his first day on the mountain and speed would come with time.  She would rather see him move slowly than be reckless.  She worried for him enough as it was.

 

            They continued this pattern, Lunafreya moving on ahead first then watching him make his way to her. Offering instruction and advice.  He was feeling more comfortable than he was first thing that morning, and was loath to admit that her little ‘let me push you down and try to get up’ lesson was proving quite essential. Getting up after falling was far from easy, and it was indeed impossible for her to help him get up.  His bad leg was beginning to ache by the time they reached the bottom of the long series of trails, but Lunafreya looked so excited that she had someone to ski with, even if it meant moving agonizingly slow, that he decided to bear with the pain.

 

            “One more run then break for lunch?” she asked him, nodding towards the warmth of the base lodge. “They make the best apple cider.”

 

            “Yeah, perfect!” he grasped at the suggestion, “Man. This sport is one hell of a work-out.” he added.

 

            “Oh, yes. It’s quite intense on the legs. My first time back on the mountain since being a kid felt like someone poured acid into my legs. Remember how sore I was for a few days?” she chuckled.  The warmth of the base compared to the chill at the summit left her wanting to remove some of her gear, but she shared Noctis’s reluctance to be recognized. It was quite nice having this chance to enjoy a day together like a normal couple. They stood in line for the lift, able to load without incident.  Once on the lift, Lunafreya tucked her poles at an angle under her thigh, and removed some of her gear so she could cool off for a moment. Noctis admired how adorable she looked with messy hair fussed by her hat, her cheeks and forehead pink from the wind.

 

            “You look adorable,” he smirked, not used to seeing his prim and proper oracle looking so.

 

            “Oh be nice.” she insisted, hooking the loops of of her gloves around her wrists so her hands were free to fix her low ponytail and began to don the rest of hear gear back on.

 

            “I’m not teasing you, I mean it,” he insisted. He reached for her wrist before she could put her mask back on, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.  

 

            “I’m sure I’m quite the stunning specimen with wind-burned cheeks, wild hair, even paler than usual…” she ambled, rolling her eyes.  

 

            “Exactly,” he teased her now, kissing the corner of her jaw hoping she would turn her head so he could bring a red glow to her pale lips.  She sighed, turned her head and closed her eyes when she felt his mouth against hers.  He bit her lower lip gently, but the chill finally broke them apart. “Hmm, if only it wasn’t so cold,” he mused, pulling his mask back up over his nose, tucking it under the rim of his goggles to eliminate any exposed skin. He couldn’t comprehend how she could tolerate the cold like this.

 

            “Yes, because a chair lift is the most romantic of settings.”

            “Just wait until I get you  back to the cabin,” he grinned. Only with her could he feel comfortable enough to be bold. Normally, such cheeky remarks weren’t his style.  He had been told time and time again how he was too shy, he needed to open up.  Even around his friends he would shell up when it came to his feelings about Lunafreya. He knew they would interrogate him about this vacation, the first that the couple had taken together alone.

 

 Gladiolus had already made dirty jokes about the betrothed pair scurrying off on their own.  Luckily the young woman who was Lunafreya’s shield had not joined in on the teasing. It had taken some convincing, but they were able to talk Regis into allowing them this little vacation with only their personal shields as escort.  They reasoned they could maintain a better level of anonymity if their guard was left to a minimum. An entourage of armed guards would only attract attention.  The King saw reason in their argument, but still feared for allowing his son and future daughter-in-law to venture off on their own with only one guard each. But risking the empire’s attention would be foolhardy.  Noctis and Lunafreya were able to convince their shields that they could separate for the purpose of Noctis’s lessons, with the intention of meeting back up in the lodge for lunch.

 

            “Can I try a blue trail this time?” Noctis asked once they were at the summit and cleared of the lift.  Lunafreya hesitated, she was happy he was so enthusiastic about sharing this with her, but worried about his tendency to push himself too hard.  But the conditions that day were good, and she knew that he would eventually spite her by doing something foolish if she insisted on keeping him bubble wrapped.  

 

            “Just… as long as you go slow, okay?” she asked. He agreed, promising not to try and race her down the mountain.  The head of the trail was green before it split into several options. One a winding green circle, one the blue square trail where she wanted to take noct, and the final a black-diamond that was calling her name.  But she was patient, she could indulge herself another time. They continued their pattern of Lunafreya first, Noctis following after.  She gave him a final _don’t go giving me heart attack_ warning before speeding down the trail.  She turned, but felt her edge catch on a small patch of ice.  Her right leg stayed stubbornly stuck, the rest of her moving.  She spun around and tumbled, feeling the ski pop off of her right foot, the left separating a couple of tumbles later, both poles lost in the chaos as she used her arms to guide her fall, finally landing a dozen meters away. She groaned, inwardly frustrated at herself, and quite embarrassed at her little ‘yard sale’.  Her wrist throbbed, but she wasn’t able to ponder on it as she thought she heard her name called, and suddenly realized how severe this fall must have looked to Noctis.

 

            She sat up sharply, seeing Noctis charging towards her recklessly fast.  She shouted his name, though she knew there was no way he could hear her. She tried to scramble to her feet to show him she was alright, holding up her palms in a _stop_ gesture.  He tried to stop, but hadn’t quite learned how to do so suddenly, and he himself went tumbling.  She watched as he fell, one ski popping off his foot as he rolled too close to the edge of the trail for comfort, an agonized scream reaching her ears _Oh gods..._

            “Noctis!” _I never should have let him do a harder trail!_ It was faster to clumsily run and slide towards him in her boots than it would be to gather her equipment and ski down to him.  She could hear him groaning. “Noct!” she called again, stumbling to his side as she reached the edge tree line. “Oh Gods…”

 

            “My leg…” he groaned, his breath coming in short sharp inhales. “You...?”

 

            “The Six Noct, I’m fine!  I told you to go slow!” she couldn’t help but chide him.

 

            “Feels like my damn leg is on fire! Well now that I know you’re fine… for once I won’t argue with some healing,” he groaned, laying back in the snow trying to relax his agitated muscles.  Lunafreya winced at the request.

 

            “Oh… I don’t know how bad you’re hurt. What if you _did_ break your leg and the bone isn’t set right?” she asked hesitantly. Her light could heal the bone, but if it was misaligned it would heal that way.

 

            “Won’t it just snap back into place?” He asked, beginning to grow a bit anxious.

           

            “No, I can’t just _snap it back in place_ ,” she cringed at the wording.  “I think I just accelerate the natural healing process,” she offered, a little unsure.

 

            “You ever tried?” he asked,

 

            “Once. And I won’t try a second time,” she explained, worrying her bottom lip. “Luckily it was just a finger… but Ravus snapped a finger pretty bad once and asked me to heal it… and it remained crooked. I will _not_ try the same thing on a leg.”  the guilt she felt at refusing to heal him was gnawing at her, it went against her very nature not to press her forehead against his and pour her light into him. The fact he had pleaded for the very help he usually resisted only compounded her plight.

 

            “Hey you guys alright?” an unfamiliar voice shouted. Lunafreya looked behind her and saw a pair of snowboarders approaching them, one holding her skiis, the other her poles.  A third person pulled up rear with Noctis’s fallen ski.

 

            “His leg is hurt,” Lunafreya explained,

           

            “I’ll go get ski patrol,” one of the strangers, a male voice, offered. She nodded to him, and watched him go off in a hurry down the trail.  Noctis was still gasping on the ground, but managed to restrain his moan.  His pride would not suffer the affront of letting these strangers hear his pain.  They may not know who he was, but he still had no desire for his people to see their Prince in such a compromising position.

 

            “Should we get that ski off his leg?” also a male voice in the troupe of strangers asked. Lunafreya shook her head, suggesting to leave it to the ski patrol who knew how to handle injuries. She feared causing any further damage to Noctis’s leg. The strangers set the fallen equipment beside the Oracle, who thanked them for their help. She noticed that one side of the front binding on Noctis’s lost ski was cracked, and cringed at the thought of how hard he had hit the patch of ice that had caused her own fall.

 

            “What happened?” A female voice this time, inquired.

 

            “I caught an edge on the ice and fell, and he got a touch reckless as a result.”

 

            “How dare I worry,” Noctis quipped, “all your stuff went everywhere! I thought you were hurt!”

 

“Good old yard sale,” the female voice commented.

 

            “I’ve been skiing since childhood! I know how to fall and avoid injury!” Lunafreya replied, feeling guilty and agitated.  If she had been more cautious, hadn’t been trying to show off for him, perhaps she would have carved her turn better and not caught the edge that sent her rolling down the hill.

 

            “You didn’t see how the fall looked… I thought you were hurt,” Noctis answered defensively, suddenly feeling embarrassed at the audience watching them.  She sighed, trying to collect herself and think about what the fall may have looked like from his perspective. She knew that were the roles reversed she likely would have made the same impulsive mistake. She just hoped that his injuries were not serious, and their assumption about a broken leg were incorrect.

 

            “Well the ski patrol will be here soon, they’ll get you down back to the base and look you over.” she explained.  He seemed quite displeased that it would involve being strapped to a sled and dragged down the mountain in a delightful parade of embarrassment, but he couldn’t quite find an argument against it. There was no way he was getting back up from this fall on his own. He just hoped his identity would stay hidden. He has no desire to see his face plastered over every newspaper in Lucis proclaiming his shame.

 

            Noctis’s pained groans were eating away at Lunafreya’s resolve, the young woman biting down on her lip wishing she could do more than just hold his gloved hand to help comfort him. It was killing her that there was nothing she could do. She watched anxiously as the ski patrol arrived, strapping him to the sled. She donned her own equipment back on and followed them down the mountain, and into the small first-aid facility.  She propped her skis and poles on the rack outside, and clumsily jogged in her boots inside to catch up to Noctis. One of the men who had brought him down was sitting at a computer, the other nowhere in sight.  The sled they had brought Noctis down on had been placed atop a bed, the young Prince still trapped to it, both his neck and bad leg braced with orange foam and medical tape.

 

            “How are you feeling?” she asked after they had placed him down. Her brows were furrowed, and pulled down her mask in the contrasting heat of the building.

 

            “Ow.” was his simple response. “They said I’ll need to be checked out at the hospital.  They went to go call an ambulance.” He explained with a sigh.  He was tempted to ask her again if she couldn’t just simply use her light, but he had heard the way her tone changed when she explained why she couldn’t risk it.  A part of him understood, but the rest of him was focused on the agony in his leg. 

 

            “I should get Gladio and Catena...” she offered hesitantly, referring to their personal shields. She knew the pair would not be very pleased.  Though, Lunafreya at the very least had an argument for Catena, as the woman had fractured her tailbone the previous winter snowboarding, and had little to offer in ways of preventing Lunafreya from hitting the mountain.  

 

            “They’re gonna kill us,” he answered. “Gladio won’t let me out of his sight for a _month_.” he rolled his eyes. It had proved useless to call Gladiolus a hypocrite when he tried to stop Noctis from attempting to learn how to ski. The shield himself was partial to snowboarding, but refused to accept his own enjoyment of winter sports as a valid excuse to let Noctis try something he deemed dangerous. It’s like everyone wanted to wrap him in bubble wrap. _Lucis needs its hier._

 

            “We’ll just have to up our stealth game to steal some alone time,” she smiled at him, trying to get one from him.  

 

            “You’d think we were still kids with how hard it is for us to be left alone for more than five minutes.” he lamented, but gave her the smile she was looking for after pulling down his own mask, the heat in the room beginning to get the best of him. Were he not strapped down to a board he would remove his jacket, but had to settle for the discomfort.

 

            “I’ll be right back, give a shout if you need help,” one of the ski patrol members called to Lunafreya. He had been sitting at a computer, likely entering this most recent accident into the computer and went outside, she assumed for a cigarette. She took advantage of being left alone with Noctis to provide him with what little comfort she good, placing a gentle kiss on his lips.

 

            “You gave me a bit of a scare.” she admitted, “Guess this puts you off skiing forever?” she added.

 

            “ _You_ scared _me_ … when I saw you fall like that I figured _you’d_ be the one rushing to the hospital,” he admitted. “And don’t think it’s so easy to scare me. Can’t let something as little as a broken leg stop me!” he added with a cheeky grin.  She looked caught between chiding him for brushing off his injury, and giggling at that ridiculous grin on his face. “My leg feels a little better than earlier… maybe it’s not  broken?” he suggested, and Lunafreya winced again as she understood his subtle hint.

 

            “That’s your endorphins. I can’t risk healing your leg wrong… you’d either need it re-broken to set it properly, or live with a malhealed leg for the rest of your life. I can’t bear the thought I would be responsible for that.” she felt repetitious, smile vanishing, shoulders slouched. She stood, rubbing her lower back that was beginning to ache with the effort of leaning over his low platform. His own smile vanished, and he felt guilty for prodding her about it again. He knew how much it hurt her when she was put in a helpless situation, and regretted bringing the subject up again. He just needed this fire in his leg to stop. He hadn’t felt something like this since those nightmarish first days after the daemon attack.

 

            “Hey… what’s with your wrist?” Noctis asked, suddenly jared from his guilty thoughts.

 

            “Hmm?” Lunafreya hummed, and looked at the offending joint. “Oh…” it had swollen significantly, and now that she was looking at it she realized it had been throbbing for some time. She had simply assumed she landed oddly and disregarded it.  She flexed her fingers, realizing just how tight the joint felt, and how sharp the pain was as she tried to make a fist. “You’re hurt…” he trailed off, his guilt at pleading for her light deepened.  Healing others always took a toll on her, an effect which slowed her own healing. Whichever piece of herself she was pouring into others when sharing her light seemed to be the same light responsible for healing her own injuries.  A sacrifice she made for others at the cost of herself.  _And I asked her for that when she was hurt…_

 

            “Why didn’t you say anything?” he asked, wishing he wasn’t strapped down to a damn board so he could get a better look at her, and do _something_ to make her feel better, even if only to soothe his conscience about what he perceived as selfish behavior.

 

            “Doesn’t hurt much,” she replied with a shrug,

 

            “Endorphins?” Noctis asked, echoing her own assumptions. She shrugged a shoulder then nodded, which only made his frown deepen. “Then it’s going to hurt a _lot_ later.”

 

            “It’s just a wrist,” she replied dismissively. Though she knew he was right. She assumed it was a simply sprain, but those _hurt._  She didn’t want to focus on that while her Noctis was trying to bear a potentially fractured leg. There was a knock at the door to the building before a pair of men came in guiding a stretcher, and Lunafreya let out a deep breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. The noise must have drawn the attention of the ski patrol staff, for one of the men came from the back room, and began to prattle on with the paramedics to tell them what happened and about the suspected injuries.  

 

            “Had a good yard sale, huh?” they asked, approaching Noctis. He was confused for a moment before he remembered the snowboarders using the term,

 

            “Actually she’s the one who had a yard sale. Scared the crap out of me so I went down the hill a little too fast and fell,”

 

            “Ah, trying to be the hero?” One of the men inquired, getting an irritated glare from Noctis, who was struggling to hold his already injured pride together.

 

            “Oh! I forgot to tell Gladio and Catena!” Lunafreya gasped.  She felt a brief moment of panic as she said the names of their shields aloud, but neither the ski patrol nor the paramedics appeared to associate the names with the betrothed Lucian royals. Noctis suggested she simply text them, to which she mentally slapped herself. She never remembered to use the damned phone in her pocket. Isolated for so long in Tenebrae she still wasn’t used to the concept of having a phone in her pocket she could use at will.   She pulled it out, and thumbed the screen on, thankful that Noctis had reminded her to charge the device before the day on the mountain.

 

_L: Good afternoon Catena. Noctis had himself a bit of a fall, I thought I would inform you and Gladiolus. Kindly pass my message on to him._

 

            She bit her lip at the formal tone and casual treatment of Noctis’s condition, knowing that her shield would be able to see clear through it.  Even without the inflection of voice Catena always seemed to know what the Oracle meant behind her words, an ability rivaled only by Noctis.  _Maybe I’m just rusty at disguising my emotions._  She pondered, and felt her phone buzz in her pocket. Then a second time. A third.  She groaned at the fourth buzz, and pulled the device back out, feeling it buzz a few more times.

 

_C: What do you mean a bit of a fall_

_C: What happened._

_C: You wouldnt text me if everything was fine_

_C: You wouldnt text me if things were only a LITTLE not ok. Spill it._

_C: Is one of you dead?_

_C: If not Ill kill you both myself_

 

            “No wonder Gladiolus took to her so fast,” Lunafreya sighed, and heard the familiar tone of Noctis’s phone begin to go off.  Seems like Catena had indeed passed her message on. She was not looking forward to the confrontation with the pair. Catena could be as bullheaded at Gladiolus himself, both shields at times overbearingly overprotective. No longer surrounded by the constant danger faced during their fight against the scourge, they seemed to interpret everything as a threat, if only to have an excuse to flex their muscles. Gladiolus had hand-picked her shield, and she suspected his choice was at least _slightly_ biased by the desire to spend more time with Catena.  He wasn’t the most subtle of men, and his attraction to the woman was obvious from the start. The paramedics were busy transferring Noctis from the ski patrol sled onto their stretcher, continuing to banter back and forth while Noctis groaned from all the movement. She bit her lip, dodging eye contact with anyone in the room.  

 

            “Noctis!” Gladiolus’s booming voice was louder than the slam of the door as he nearly punched it open.  Catena was right behind him, shouting her charge’s name with equal energy.

 

            “Did you guys _teleport_ here?!” Lunafreya asked, incredulous.

 

            “Wait… Noctis?! _The_ Noctis?!” One of the paramedics turned towards the man who had all but torn the door off its hinges to get into the first aid building. He turned to the prince, glanced up at Lunafreya, and looked caught between throwing up, fainting, asking for an autograph, and wanting to punch someone for not informing him of just _who_ was on his stretcher.

 

            “Please don’t tell anyone about this,” the Prince groaned, dreading the endless taunting awaiting him once he returned home. He wished Gladiolus had followed his own vehement advice to maintain anonymity, trying to ignore the new panicked banter of the medical personnel as they began to argue over why dispatch was never informed about the person they were coming to transport.  His leg was throbbing enough, he didn’t need his head too as well.

 

            “What did you do?  I bet it was something stupid. Which means of _course_ I have to tell Prompto and Specs. You really think I can keep this a secret? First day pretending you’re some winter sports enthusiast. I don’t think I’ve _ever_ seen you even _pretend_ to enjoy winter!”

 

            “They think his leg may be broken,” Lunafreya offered, knowing it wasn’t going to help Gladio calm down any. “He went a little too fast and fell” she continued.

 

            “Luna fell and I got worried! Everyone is acting like it’s a _bad_ thing!” he replied, exasperated at everyone’s constant condescending attitudes. A part of him was tempted to pull rank and remind them of who he was, but he nearly puked at the thought.

 

            “I told you already I know what I’m doing! Falling _happens_!” Lunafreya shot back, not appreciating their implications.

 

            “Just heal him already,” Gladiolus grumbled, and this agitated the four strangers in the room further.

 

            “Wait.. _the Oracle_ is here too?! Ramuh is going to blast us all off the face of the earth!” The man motioned as if he was going to bow, but Catena snatched the scruff of his neck, knowing how much Lunafreya hated such formalities.

 

Please…” the aforementioned woman groaned,

 

            “I say again, _just heal him already_.” Gladiolus insisted,distressed  at seeing his friend in such a state.

 

“I can’t!” she snapped, finding it hard to control her tone

 

“Don’t think you’re getting out of this unscathed!” Catena stated, adding to the cacophony of argumentative voices.  She was half a head taller than the Oracle, long black hair pulled back into a low ponytail.  She looked thin, but only because her clothing covered her toned muscles. She could be damned intimidating whens he wanted to be. She grabbed Lunafreya’s wrist, eliciting a loud yelp, and withdrew her hand quickly, “you’re hurt too?” she inquired, voice softening,

 

“Just my wrist. I’m fine.” she insisted.  Her shield apologized, but insisted she wasn’t off the hook for worrying the Prince to the point he injured himself, and that she allowed herself to get hurt.

 

“We really need to get him to the hospital now,” one of the paramedics interrupted everyone’s arguing.  He felt insecure making a demand of the Prince and his entourage.  Noctis agreed enthusiastically, needing to break the tension in the room and get away from the agitated shields. Lunafreya followed them to the back of the ambulance, and sighed with relief when the doors shut after receiving a promise from the other two that they would follow in the Regalia II.

 


	2. Chapter 2

“You okay?” Noctis asked, “I heard you shout…”

 

“Oh, you know how Catena likes to grab people when talking to them. She just grabbed the wrong wrist is all,” she brushed off the incident, knowing that she didn’t mean to cause her pain.

 

“I’m sorry we didn’t treat you with adequate respect your Highness,” the paramedic in the back of the ambulance with them chimed during  a silence between the royals.

 

“Please treat me like you would anyone else…” the paramedic apologized again and agreed, though he didn’t sound confident in his words.  Most of the ride was spent in awkward silence, save for the occasional groan from Noctis when the ambulance would hit a difficult patch of road, followed by Lunafreya either asking if he was alright, or offering a sympathetic sound. It was a long awkward drive, and the pair could not have been more grateful to arrive at the hospital’s emergency room, and were even more grateful that per policy each patient was only allotted one visitor.  Noctis was moved from the stretcher to a bed, a nurse offering apologies that the emergency room was quite busy that night before pulling the curtain.  Lunafreya had removed her ski boots finally, sitting in just her thick wool socks, the back with her regular clothing in it was back in the Regalia II. She removed her jacket, but still felt uncomfortably warm in her long-sleeved shirt, but underneath it was only a sports bra and while she was sure Noctis would appreciate the view, she had no intention of giving the whole hospital a show.

 

“I swear to the Six I will leap off this bed and drag myself home if one more person tries to kiss my ass,” Noctis groaned, expecting the nurse to return any moment with another set of apologies after the paramedics were sure to give her a proper report which would include his identity.  It did not take long for his prediction to come true. The royal couple pleaded with the nurse not to offer special treatment. Like the paramedics she voiced agreement, but didn’t look particularly comfortable.

 

“Makes me miss when we were travelling all around Lucis and no one ever seemed to recognize us,” Noctis lamented after the young woman finally left the room. Lunafreya pulled the chair up beside his bed, grasping his hand and brushing his dampened hair from his face,

 

“I do miss that part things,” she sighed. She leaned over him, kissing him carefully, fearful of any unnecessary motion after the difficult ambulance ride. “How are you holding up?” she asked, worrying her bottom lip as she stroked his cheek, sitting beside him.

 

“That ambulance ride sucked. Feeling better now that I’m not moving. Wish they’d take this collar of my neck though. I hurt my leg not my neck,” he complained. “How’s your wrist?”

 

“Always more concerned about me, no matter how hurt you are.” she replied. “You’re as bad as me.” she smiled, getting a humorless chuckle from him. “I’m okay.” she continued, before he would inevitably repeat his question. “It hurts. But I just need to wrap it for a couple weeks.”

 

“You should tell the nurse when she gets back here,” he suggested, not liking the idea she was bypassing treatment for herself.

 

“I’ve had sprains before, I know how to treat it. Besides, it looks like the poor people who work for this hospital are busy enough as it is.”

 

“What if it’s broken?” he asked, furrowing his brow.  He gave her hand a gentle squeeze in response to her thumb brushing back and forth across the backs of his fingers.

 

“It doesn’t feel broken.” she answered, giving him a half-hearted explanation of how she could tell the difference.  Noctis squeezed her hand again, running his own thumb across hers.  “Noct, honestly, I’m alright,” she tried to reassure him. “Let’s focus on that leg, then you can fuss over me as much as you want. Deal?” she offered. He narrowed an eye at her, scrunching his nose at her,

 

“Deal,” he agreed, happy to see her smile in response. Their conversation was halted with the return of the nurse, “that was fast,” he remarked.

 

“I need to get an IV in you,” she explained. “You’re in a lot of pain, we don’t really like to keep you that way” she assured him, implying she intended to keep her reluctant promise. The Prince winced briefly at the first sting of the needle, but the elder woman was quick, he was soon connected to a bag of fluids. She picked up a syringe she had placed on the table, “this should get you more comfortable while you wait for an x-ray” the name she called it sounded like gibberish, and he just played along, the fire in his leg beginning to exhaust him. She recorded a set of vital signs, commenting that his elevated blood pressure was simply a reaction to the pain, stating she would check it again later when he was feeling a little better to make sure it came down. After asking if there was anything he needed, getting a negative in response, the woman left.

 

“That should work quick,” Lunafreya commented after she was gone, reaching to brush some strands of hair out of Noctis’s face, giving him a sad smile. She finally sat down in the chair she had pulled up to his bedside, grasping his hand with her good one.

 

“I hope so,” he replied, noting the strange smell lingering in his nose. “Something smells weird… tastes wierd too…”

 

“It’s the saline.  Leaves a funny taste in your mouth at first. That or the pain medicine,” she explained with a shrug.  He hummed in response, squeezing her hand back.

 

“Lot of experience in the hospital?” he inquired, not liking how familiar she was with the phenomenon.

 

“I’m a _healer_. I spent a lot of time in the hospitals of Tenebrae healing the blight.  And before you interrogate me further, I talked to those I healed. It was a common comment, the strange taste.” she explained.

 

“Oh.” he seemed surprised at the peaceful explanation.Lunafreya rested her head next to his on the bed, also wishing they took that neck collar off him. She began to run her thumb across the back of his fingers again, letting out a short sigh,  a silence hanging between them for several moments, broken when Noctis complained about the blood pressure cuff around his arm inflating again, to which Lunafreya shushed him.

 

“I really wish I could just heal you” she lamented.

 

“It wasn’t fair of me to push you like that,” he replied. He let go of her hand, twisting his arm uncomfortably to try and brush his fingers against her wind-tousled hair. She sat up, making his task a little easier. She looked quite adorable, far from the usually well-groomed Princess she was. Her hair was in a messy low ponytail, fussed by wind, kinked awkwardly in places, especially the long bangs framing her face. Her forehead and cheeks were red with windburn, the tip of her nose and ears matched. Her lips were flushed, and if only he wasn’t strapped down… “Can I have a kiss?” he asked, beginning to feel more relaxed.

 

“Since when do you ask?” she chuckled, amused by his request but gave in anyway, leaning over him to place a careful kiss upon his lips.

 

“Well I’m strapped down, hard to get the point across any other way. You’re redder than a leide pepper,” he snickered.  “Hmm… my leg is starting to feel better.” he remarked, the searing fire beginning to dull down to aching embers.

 

“Oh good. I’m glad you’re finally feeling better.”

 

“Me too.” he answered with relieved chuckle. “How long do you think we’ll  be stuck here?” he inquired. He was feeling restless being strapped down, but the medicine was dulling the ache in his old injury that was threatening to ignite into the familiar burning needles he felt whenever he laid flat on his back for too long.

 

“They seem busy. At least a couple hours.” she replied, though it was possible they would try to rush to Noctis to the best of their ability despite the request for equal treatment. Noctis groaned at this answer, not sure that even the medicine would dull the complaints in his back for that long if he had to stay like this. She seemed to sense his tension, and sighed as she tried to ignore the growing throb in her own wrist, thinking to herself she was going to feel pretty miserable once the endorphins fully wore off.

 

“How’s your hand?”

 

“Can you read minds now?” she asked,

 

“No… you’re rubbing your wrist.” he answered.  She relaxed her hands, realizing she had begun to massage her wrist without realizing it, giving a disappointed humm.  “It’s all swollen. Like a baseball… but… you can’t play catch with a bad wrist,” he looked like he tried to nod, and she lifted a brow at him,

 

“You okay?” she asked, noting the slight glaze to his eyes, getting a short giggle in reply.

 

“Hmm… my leg is getting numb. Not like.. The bad pins and needles I get in my bad leg.”

 

“Well at least you’re feeling better.” she smiled.

 

“I’m not a batter… we’re not playing baseball?” the statement turned into a question, and he squinted. “Mmm… little dizzy. But we were skiing… not playing baseball.”

 

“ _Better_.” she clarified, “Not _batter._ ”

 

“Oh. Like cake batter. Yeah. I could go for some cake…” he rambled.

 

“I think that medicine has certainly kicked in,” she chuckled.  This was certainly a new side of him. He hummed again, and began to talk about his favorite type of cake, and how he wished Ignis would bake cake more often. Aside from that pastry he tried to replicate for years, Ignis didn’t enjoy making desserts much. He was much more of a cook than a baker.  

 

“I tell you about the time me and Prom got really, really drunk, and tried to make cake?” he asked. Lunafreya shook her head and encouraged him.  “Was horrible.  We couldn’t measure things to save our lives. Tons of egg shells...  Recipe called for lemon zest?  But we just put in huge chunks of the entire peel… and chunks of the lemon too…  like the smart dudes we are.  Then we got distracted and let the cake umm cook in the oven… too long. All burnt on the outside. We ate the entire thing anyway.  Ignis wouldn’t let us back in the kitchen for a month after that!”  Lunafreya laughed at the thought, not having trouble imagining Ignis’s reaction to the pair defiling his kitchen with such a disastrous escapade.

 

“One would think he would be more apt to bake, if only to better lure you and your trouble-makers away from the kitchen,” she smirked, getting one in reply. Noctis hummed again, and asked Lunafreya for another kiss.  She looked at him, brows raised, “I’m beginning to wonder if you hit your head.” she answered him before satisfying his request with a gentle kiss.  The fire in which he responded, or tried to with his awkward darting of his tongue, told her he wanted a bit more than a simple brush of lips.  

 

“Hmm… I think it’s the medicine? I feel funny.” he answered. “This … neck thing? Is itchy.” He lifted his hands to reach for the hard collar, but Lunafreya was quick to grab his wrists, wincing when she closed the fingers of her swollen hand.

 

“Whoa! Stop! Just wait until they take it off! They have it on you for a reason!” she pleaded, forced to drop her grip her bad hand, drawing it close to her with a pained gasp.  The throbbing was growing worse, and she contemplated asking the nurse for some ice when next she returned.

 

“But it’s itchy.” he complained Before she could scold him further, the nurse returned.

 

“How’s that leg treating you, better?” she asked.

 

“Yeah! All… all numb.” he answered.

 

“Oh good! That’s what I like to hear!” she smiled.  She walked up to him, inspecting the IV with a nod, glancing up at the machine that was constantly taking his vital signs,  scribbling something onto her clipboard. 

 

“Can you look at her wrist?” Noctis asked, “her hand is a baseball.” he continued, the nurse furrowed her brow, casting a confused glance to Lunafreya who pressed her lips together in a thin smile with a shrug.  “Show… show her the baseball.” 

 

“Did you hurt yourself too in the ski accident?” the nurse inquired.  Lunafreya sighed, holding out her swollen hand, the nurse giving her a surprised tisk.

 

“You should have told us.  We should get you registered too so the doctor can take a look at you. You probably need an x-ray as well.  Registration is out front, where you came in, you can come back in here once registered-”

 

“It’s not broken,” she cut the woman off, “I’ve had a broken bone before, and I’ve had a sprain before. It’s just a sprain. I just need some ice and a bandage…” she trailed off, but the nurse didn’t want to listen.  She tried again to convince Lunafreya to go register with the triage desk, not satisfied at letting her future-Queen sit injured and untreated in her ER.

 

 “Or just a _patient_ sitting here injured and untreated in my ER. At least let me look at it,”  She was reluctant, but held her hand out to the nurse again, who grasped it with surprising tenderness. She turned her hand over, asking her to make a fist, bend her elbow, and to describe the pain.  She tisked again, “I really want you looked at but I can’t force you. But I’m writing down you declined treatment,” she pointed an accusing finger at the younger woman.  “But at the very least I’m getting you a bandage. The hospital won’t go bankrupt from me handing you one.”  

 

“Good… bandage that baseball hand.” Noctis chimed in,

 

“Whoa! Leave that be!” the nurse snapped, darting to the Prince and pulling his hands away from the collar around his neck.  

 

“It’s itchy!” he complained.  Lunafreya thought that she should be annoyed, but found herself quite amused instead.

 

“Am I a bad person for finding him funny like this?” she asked, getting the nurse to chuckle after successfully stopping Noctis from ripping off medical equipment.

 

“Guess he’s not used to pain medicine?” she asked, “especially with you around.” she added, then furrowed her brow, once again going through her excuses and feeling bitter at the return of her guilt. The nurse apologized, realizing she overstepped some boundaries.  She returned quickly with a  bandage for her wrist, Lunafreya assuming her speed was a way of apologizing and let the nurse wrap her wrist. Noctis drifted off to sleep, mumbling at times about baseball or lemons or some other nonsense that made about as much sense as if Noctis was a coeurl reciting poetry. She rested her head on the bed beside him, gently brushing her fingers against his side as he slept, glad for the bandage around her wrist dulling her own pain.

***

 

“So your leg is fractured, but luckily it’s not displaced in any way,” the doctor slid into medical technobabble that went over both of the royal’s heads, both of them just nodding politely.  The doctor explained he would cast the Prince’s leg, no surgery necessary to keep the bone aligned as long as he followed his discharge instructions.

 

“This is wonderful news!” Lunafreya chimed, smiling down at Noctis who appeared equally relieved.  “It’s not displaced, I can help you now.”  she felt her earlier guilt finally dissipate.  She leaned forward, reaching for the sides of his face but her betrothed grasped the forearm of her uninjured limb, halting her approach.  He was free from his earlier restraints after the tests proved he had no back, neck, or head injury. 

 

“Whoa whoa. You’re not using your light on me.” he insisted, causing her to smile to fade. “You’re hurt too. You’ll take a lot longer to heal if I let you cure something like a _fracture_.” he argued.  He remembered what her light appeared to cost her during their journey.  Depending on how much of herself she was forced to pour into her patient, the healing would leave her exhausted.  It didn’t take the group long to notice how if she used her light to heal someone, her own healing was significantly delayed.  It was Ignis who initially noticed that it had taken twice as long for a bad laceration to heal after she had healed what had most likely been rib fractures in Gladiolus.

 

“It’s a sprain! I can handle an extra week or two in a bandage if it means I can spare you two months in a cast!” she argued, carefully trying to pry her forearm from his grip.

 

“When I originally asked you to heal me I didn’t know you were hurt!” he argued. “And what if it’s broken? You’re too stubborn to get looked at.  If it’s broken healing me will cost you a lot more than a week in an ACE-bandage.” he argued.

 

“I swear Noct-”

 

“I’ll make a deal with you.” he suggested. “You go resister like the nurse wanted, get your own x-ray of your hand, and if the doctor says you’re fine I’ll let you heal my leg. Deal?” he asked.  Lunafreya wanted to argue, beginning to feel irritated.  The medicine had worn off, bringing him back to mental clarity.  He had only accepted half a dose when the pain return, telling the nurse he had no desire to be that high again. As a result his pain was almost bearable, and he maintained his wits, albeit a bit groggy.

 

“You were begging for me to help you! Noct it’s your _leg_! This is just a wrist!” she tried to argue. They had been cooped up in this damnable hospital long enough, she wanted him fixed so they could return to the cabin they were staying in and enjoy their vacation.  Her earlier confliction returned with a vengeance, and she was tempted to find a way to force him to accept her light, but it never seemed to work right if the recipient didn’t want it. They argued back and forth for some time, Lunafreya finally aquesting if only to prove to him that she was fine, so she could fix his damned leg already.  By the time she registered the emergency room was far less busy, and she had been x-rayed and evaluated in under two hours. She had been returned to the same room Noctis was in while they waited the results of the radiology exam. And much to her own chagrin, her wrist was fractured.

 

***

 

            “You forget how to answer a damn phone?” Gladiolus barked the moment he saw the Lucian royals emerging back into the emergency waiting room. Noctis was in a wheelchair, a cast around his leg stopping just below his knee.  The hospital had cut him out of his thermal pants, but luckily had managed to pull off his ski pants without destroying the garments. He was now in a comfortable pair of sweatpants that he had packed in his duffel of ski equipment.  He owed Lunafreya an apology for being so stubborn about packing sweatpants in palce of his usual pants. He was followed by said woman, also sporting a cast and sling of her own, who thanked the nurse following them a final time.

 

            “Oh…” she replied, an expression of guilt crossing her features while she dodged Catena’s angry glare. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, turning it back on, having forgotten about the device. There were a dozen missed calls, thrice as many texts, and assumed that Noctis’s phone was equally filled with missed messages.  “The sign in the ER said to shut off cellphones…” she offered as explanation.

 

            “You okay buddy?” Gladiolus asked, slapping Noctis hard on the shoulder.

 

            “Yeah. But remind me never to take pain medicine again. I don’t think Luna will ever let me live it down.”

 

            “That’s the first thing you’ve said that makes sense.” she smirked, getting a glare in return that made her laugh.

 

            “You better tell me what the Prince here was jabbering about back there,” Gladiolus insisted, gesturing at Lunafreya with a pointed finger, who grinned back the affirmative. Noctis wasn’t sure who to glare at harder, tossing both of them chided looks.

 

            “Luna… don’t you dare.”

 

            “I can’t keep something like this all to myself. That wouldn’t be quite fair. Would it Gladio?” she prompted,

 

            “She gets it!” he replied with a hard pat on her back. He looked down at her hand, “hey, I see you actually patched yourself up for once. Catena might _not_ have to yell at you until she’s blue in the face.”

 

            “You’re our shields, and our friends. Not our mothers.” she commented back, narrowing her eyes at him.   This got a laugh from the pair.

 

            “Okay okay, I’ll back off.” Catena cut in.  “And sorry about earlier. I shouldn’t have grabbed you like that.  What do you say we all hit the bar and I buy you a couple of drinks to make up for it?” she offered, but Lunafreya shook her head,

 

            “Today has been a very long day. I would quite like to return to the cabin, maybe a bottle of wine, and retire early.” she counter-offered.

 

            “Okay, we’ll hit the liquor store on the way back to the cabin, get some wine for the two of you… wait… is Noct still on those pills? You can’t drink with those pills.”

 

            “Hence why I said wine. Noctis hates wine. Now had I said beer…”

 

            “I already told you I don’t plan to take the pills! I don’t want to feel all loopy like that and make an ass of myself again.” Noctis pouted,

 

            “You’ll be singing a different tune in a few hours when that leg throbs back up again.” Gladiolus retorted, remembering the pain of a fractured arm during the early months of his training as Noctis’s shield. Bullheadedness was not an adequate anesthetic. “Let’s get you back to that cabin.”  During the ride back Noctis continued to argue that he didn’t want those damned pills, and would kill for a beer after everything they went through.  In the end they purchased a bottle of wine for Lunafreya, nothing for Noctis much to his chagrin, and returned to the cabin.  The royals convinced their shields they would survive a few unguarded hours in the secluded cabin, and the pair seemed a little too enthusiastic to hit the bar and enjoy their own alone time.

 

“You’re never letting me live this down are you?” Noctis grumbled after Lunafreya had asked him _what shall we do with ourselves missus Amicitia?_ The cabin was too small and cluttered for the wheelchair, forcing Gladiolus to carry Noctis up to the bedroom he was sharing with his betrothed.   _I’ll have to remember to pick up some crutches tomorrow._ He thought to himself. It had been Catena who teasingly called him missus Amicitia, but the shields had departed before the royals could tease them about how red their faces became at sound of the nickname.

 

“Never.” Came her reply with a grin. It was usually him that did the teasing leaving the other partner flushed.   He tried to glare at her, but it only made her laugh again.

 

“How can the soon-to-be missus Caelum treat her Prince like that?” he teased her, the red in her cheeks bringing a victorious grin to his own.

 

“Playing hardball?” she quipped back.

 

“Just revenge,” a casual shrug raised his shoulders.   

 

“Whatever shall I do now?” she inquired with a coy smile.  “Shall I pour us some wine?”

“You know I don’t like wine.” he replied.

 

“I think you just haven’t found one you like. I bought a sweet one, at least try it.  The bottles at the Citadel are all dry wines.”  He reluctantly agreed, watching Lunafreya depart from the room. She returned shortly with the bottle and two glasses, handing one to Noctis before she sat on the edge of the bed and wiggled her way over so she was sitting next to him, their backs up against the headboard. She discarded her sling, resting her casted hand in her lap. He took a sip with some urging, and was pleasantly surprised.

 

“I didn’t know they came this sweet,” he remarked.

 

“As long as you promise me not to take any of those pills for a couple hours I won’t tell Gladio I let you drink,” the grin on her face matching the one on his.  Noctis pursed his lips, drawing his pinched fingers across his mouth in a zipper gesture. “Your leg will start to throb if we don’t get it elevated.” she noted, placing her glass on the nightstand, sliding out of the bed. She used the throw pillows from the couch in another room to help prop his leg up, and returned to her spot next to him once convinced that he was adequately comfortable.

 

“What do you say next winter we try this again?” Noctis asked.  Lunafreya looked at him, a bit surprised at the question,

 

“You still want to learn?”

 

“Can’t let one fall stop me.  At least I learned the hard way to listen to you for once,” he teased.

 

“If only it didn’t take breaking your leg to teach you such. And you really should just let me heal your leg…” she offered again.  He sighed, they debated, and a second glass of wine later were back to where they started, sitting on the bed together feeling quite pathetic in their matching casts. “If you won’t let me heal your leg you’ll have to let me help you feel better another way,” she suggested, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

 

“Is that you talking, or the wine?” he asked, setting his empty glass aside. He realized they  had yet to eat most of the day, so the it was hitting them harder than expected.  He reached a free hand towards her flushed cheek.

 

“Both?” she answered, leaning into his touch. He chuckled, and she followed the light tug of his hand that wound its way into her hair, closing her eyes to meet his lips. Chaste at first, but soon her tongue brushed his bottom lip, and he deepened the kiss, sighing through his nose as he tasted the wine on her tongue, and felt her sigh against his mouth.

 

She broke the kiss to shift back, pulling him with her, so he was at an angle where she could push him down against the bed with an open palm without him striking the headboard.  She leaned closer into him, swinging one leg over his hips so she was straddling him, enjoying the crimson staining his cheeks. She reached to the hem of her thermal undershirt with her good hand, awkwardly moving to pull the form hugging garment over her head. Her attempt at seductive motion instead had Noctis chuckling at her as she awkwardly fumbled with one hand, but he eventually reached forward and helped her pull it over her head, freed her good arm, and then down her injured limb without snagging the shirt on the edge of her cast with a great amount of effort.  She sat back to take in the lustful gleam in his eyes. The pressure that greeted inner thighs her told her that he was certainly enthusiastic about where she was going with this.  She bent forward, balancing herself on her arms, and her eyes snapped open,

 

“Oh gods!” she yelped, jerking back from him suddenly, clutching her casted arm to her chest as fire erupted through the limb, taking a sharp intake of breath through her teeth.

 

“You okay?!” Noctis asked, heart racing from her shout.

 

“I was stupid…” she mumbled. “Leaned on... my wrist.” she panted in the pauses between her words, breathing slowly coming back under control as the pain began to fade to something more reasonable. She whimpered, relaxing her tense muscles as she felt more normal.

 

“You okay?” he repeated slowly.

 

“I am now.” she answered. “That wasn’t very romantic now, was it?” she smiled, glad to see him chuckle. She tried again, leaning over him, holding herself up with one arm.  She kissed him, and her nasal sigh tickled Noctis’s skin, and he wound his arms around her, fighting his desire to pull her down flush against him. One hand traced the line of her spine, the other holding her neck, thumbing the curve of her collar bone before roaming. Her hips moved just right, and he matched her seductive motion by rocking his own hips, finally eliciting the moan from her he was searching for. It didn’t take long for holding herself up so strangely to start making her abdomen burn in protest of the exercise and she pulled away from him again.”Sitting like that is harder than it looks.” she admitted sheepishly in reply to the confused furrow of his brow.

 

“Hmm.. let’s try something else,” he smirked.  She cocked a brow and he pushed her so she was forced onto her back, her surprised yelp shifting into a giggle. He motioned to move over her, but barely twisted his hips when his leg howled in protest, pain flaring through the limb. For a moment he was brought back to the mountain after first hearing that cracking sound. And another moment where he was a kid again, delirious with pain as the Naga reached to finish him off. He shook his head, dropping himself back with an agonized shout, hands clamped down around his knee.

 

“Noct!”

 

“That was stupider.” he groaned. “Shouldn’t have even tried to move like that…” his words were slow, gasping for breath between them as he inhaled sharply through his teeth, every exhale an excruciating groan. Lunafreya moved quickly towards him, but he let go of his knee long enough to place his palm on the center of her chest, “Don’t even think about-”

 

“Oh come now! I won’t be an invalid forever just from helping your leg calm down a little. I promise to just help soothe you a little, and not hurt myself trying to heal the entire fracture. Fair?” she offered. He seemed hesitant for the barest of moments but the pain was overriding his thoughts and he agreed. She placed her forehead against his, whispering her quiet prayer, and the pain settled back down to where it had been before his senseletion motion. “Better?” she inquired.

 

“Better.” He admitted, smiling up at her. _How is she so patient with my stubborn ass?_ He pondered.  Lunafreya sighed, lying on her side beside him and nestled her head into his shoulder.

 

“Quite the pair are we.” she remarked, “I should put a shirt back on so I’m not an eternal tease.” she joked.

 

“I like you like this.  Besides… moving right now is overrated.” he answered, running his fingers along her back drawing a sigh from her.  

 

“At least let me adjust your leg… when you tried to move you knocked your pillows over.” she sat up and helped position his leg back onto the pillows and turned to see Noctis sporting a broad grin, bringing a flush to her cheeks. She leaned over him, brushing her lips against his in a chaste kiss. He only tolerated the purity of it for the briefest of moments before he nibbled on her bottom lip, and soon the kiss shifted into something far more passionate, tasting eachother, Noctis tangling a hand into Lunafreya’s messy locks.  She shifted her bad arm so she wouldn’t put any weight on it, using the other to support herself as Noctis pulled her closer to him.

 

“Hmm… you were right… you’re too much of a tease like this. I can’t resist you.” he whispered to her, and she felt the heat return to her cheeks and she buried her face against his neck to try and hide her embarrassed smile.  Her lips grazed below his ear, and she felt his hands drift down her back until his thumbs hooked the waist of her pants, his thumbnails gently grazing her skin.

 

“Mmm... “ she hummed at the feel, and any pretense of foregoing their desires was lost. Moving almost slow enough to temper the mood, she helped Noctis out of his sweatpants and he returned the favor, helping her out of her own.  “Our shields better be planning on being gone most of the night.” she whispered between frantic kisses once they were freed from their garments.  With his help she straddled him again, his hands tight against her hips to guide her as she took great care not to lean on her bad arm.  His moan drowned out her shuddered sigh as they joined together, his hands guiding her into a rolling motion that drove them both into a world of bliss.  Lunafreya took great care not to lean back and grip his legs, holding her broken wrist against her chest until Noctis bemoaned her blocking his view.  He bit back his own moans, wanting to hear her quiet but frantic sighs, the way her breath would hitch.  He ached to move his hips with her, hardly managing to keep his senses to stop him from ruining this near maddening world of pleasure. He had to help guide her beside him as they parted, her drunken motions clumsy as she struggled not to use the casted arm.

 

“I should lie in bed with you shirtless more often.” Lunafreya commented, and he chuckled in response, tightening the arm around her shoulders to pull her closer to him.

 

“Sure as hell won’t hear me complain if you do!”

 

“What do you say I help you get back to the den, build us a fire, make some cocoa?” she offered.” Noctis was amicable to the idea, and voiced his agreement after planting one last kiss on her lips, keeping it chaste and brief.  His betrothed shimmied out of bed first, quickly donning her discarded sweatpants and pulled out one of his extra tee-shirts to wear rather than her form hugging thermal top. 

 

“You should wear my shirts more often… kinda hot.” he commented, making her cheeks flush.

 

“I… didn’t want to struggle my tighter shirts over this cast.”  he managed to sit up on the edge of the bed without incident. It took a bit of convincing, but Noctis eventually conceded to allow her to help him redress in his sweatpants, still feeling too sore and tender to struggle them back on alone. She managed to pull the pant up over his cast without causing him pain, leaving him wondering how her touch could be so gentle. He hugged her with one arm as he stood to help maintain his balance, using the other to clumsily tug them up over his waist. Once he pulled the string to keep them from falling back down Lunafreya hooked one of his arms around her shoulders so he could hobble next to her, and clumsily they made their way into the den one tedious step at a time. It took several long minutes to get him settled onto the floor, back against the bottom of the sofa,  Lunafreya disappearing into the bedroom to collect pillows to prop Noctis’s leg up. 

 

“Comfortable?” she inquired after he set his leg down.

 

“Comfortable as I’m gonna get”

 

“Let’s see if I can do this, or shall I make a fool of myself.” She was fussing with some kindling she pulled out of the basket next to the pile of firewood.  Four matches later the kindling had ignited, and the first small log began to burn.  She sat back on her heels, giving Noctis a triumphant smile. “Ignis would be proud.”

 

“And you didn’t even burn the cabin down!” She tried to glare at his quip, but his cheeky smile only make her giggle instead.  

 

“I’ll be back in just a moment,” she returned a minute after Nocts heard the loud whistle of a teapot with two steaming mugs of cocoa, handing one to her betrothed before sitting on the floor next to him. “What shall we do with ourselves now?” she inquired.

 

“My phone is on the end table in the bedroom… why don’t we watch a movie on it?” he offered. Enthused by the idea she left his side again, and settled back  next to him, handing him the small device.  He found a movie fast enough from a streaming service. Despite the deep ache in his leg that threatened to spread into an unbearable white-hot agony at the wrong movement, he couldn’t think of something he would rather be doing. Sitting before a warm fire, sipping a hot sugary drink, with his Luna nuzzled close to him sharing one of his favorite movies with her.  “You know, I think we need to figure out a way to take another vacation together once we’re both healed up.”

 

            “Hmm… certainly sounds promising.” she answered.  “I quite like being alone with you.” she added after a few moments. “I think we’d have to find a way to steal away on our own, and deal with our angry shields after the matter.”

 

            “I like that plan”

  
  



End file.
